Currently have
-Headers w/ dual exhaust
-K&N filter
-160thermo w/ Hypertech programmer

looking for a good Alum Head, CAM, piston combo that will work best with the factory fuel injection. (possible stroker)

Any good suggestions?

 

Are you talking about the Vortec 454 in your GM truck? If you are the Vortec heads that are in your truck has a 100cc chamber. Mmost aftermarket aluminum heads would drop the compression ratio considerably. I beleive that Edelbrock had a 100cc vortec head for the big blocks as a retrofit for the earlier 95 and back TBI 454 engines. That head if available maybe a viable option for some performance gains.

The other problem is that the OBD2 PCM was not very receptive to cam changes, beleive me I know I went through all of this in a 99 suburban with a 502 retrofit. The best mods I can recommend that work is the Banks Power Pak exhaust system including the Banks tubular headers. This system works and I have installed 3 systems to date and I can personally say it works as advertised. Banks advertises 70Hp and 85ft/lbs improvement over stock and you can FEEL the difference with this system. Although its not cheap it does work as advertised. And this would be less than the cost and trouble of installing a set of heads.
http://bankspower.com/test_results_AC05.cfm

But seeing how in your post you already have a header system I can suggest your other option for big power changes is going to a Whipple Blower system, that also works well :)



[Modified by tjwong, 2:05 PM 12/30/2003]

 

The motor has 90K+ and a cracked head. So, I was going to pull it and rebuild it with some forged pistons, Alum heads + bigger cam. I can make up for the compression with different pistons. You got me thinking about the computer.... Is it possible to get a custom program? I'm not familiar with the OBD2 computer. Is there still a chip? If so, can't I just get a custom tune?? Not considering the computer issue, my concern was with the fuel injections system. It seems to have the long runners similar to the TPI units. So, should I be looking for cams with the 2500-5500 rpm range? I don't want to end up with a long block that isn't going to work very well with the fuel injection system.

Yes...I'm seriously considering the whipple! :) It would be nice if there was an ATI Pro Charger available for this truck...

Again, thanks for any info!

 

Yes you could get a custom tune for it. But its tough even for them to get it right. Call Tony at Street and Performance Electronics. There are no removable chips in these PCMs.

Here is their website address:
http://www.streetandperformanceelectronics.com

Ask for his opinion. Personally if I was you I wouldn't go with a cam any larger than with a 218 intake duration and have a lobe separation at least 112 if not 114. Comp Cams has a nice hydraulic roller that has a 218/224 @ .050 roller cam. You can have it ground on a 114 and that would make a decent truck blower cam that would give your truck decent low and mid range power. Any larger than that and you would sacrifice bottom end.

That intake does have long runners in it. But if you get a cam with lots of overlap and has a lumpy idle its going to have a lot of reversion in the intake. I used that stock intake on my 502 and made it run very good. The stock MAF sensor and Throttle body is adequate for that engine. And if you add the whipple you don't want any more compression than what the engine has stock in it already. Going with the Edelbrock oval ports heads will give you some performance gains over the stock heads. I do beleive that Pro Charger does make a blower kit for the Vortec 454 trucks. Here is a link to their vortec 454 truck kits website:
http://www.procharger.com/TRUCK_SUV/96-00GM7.4_uh.shtml

Email me off line and I can help you with this as we are a deale for Pro Charger.